On this date in Texas Rangers history, Ruben Sierra became the first player wearing a Rangers uniform to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in the same game.
That moment came on September 13, 1986, against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Sierra hit his first homer of the game in the third inning against a pitcher familiar to Rangers fans — Bert Blyleven, who at one time pitched for the Rangers and ended up in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sierra hit his second home run in the ninth inning off Bill Latham.
Sierra ended up going 2-for-5 in the game, with two RBI and two runs scored. The Rangers beat the Twins easily, 14-1, as the Rangers hit seven home runs in the game. In addition to Sierra’s pair, Darrell Porter hit two home runs, while Pete O'Brien, Pete Incaviglia and Steve Buechele hit one each. It was a club record at the time.
Sierra, then a rookie, finished the season hitting .264 with 16 home runs and 55 runs batted in. Sierra was sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting that season.
Also on this date …
September 13, 1985: The Rangers traded pitcher Dave Stewart to the Phillies for pitcher Rick Surhoff.
September 13, 2003: Catcher Gerald Laird set a Rangers record for longest hit streak to start a Rangers career. It took Laird, a backup, more than four months to set the mark. His streak started on May 6 and ended on September 13 and totaled eight games.
September 13, 2006: Gary Matthews Jr. became the third Ranger to hit for the cycle, when he did it against the Detroit Tigers. He went 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Matthews singled in the first inning, doubled in the second inning and tripled in the fourth inning, all off Tigers starter Justin Verlander. He then homered in the sixth inning off Mike Maroth to finish off a ‘natural’ cycle (hitting them in the order of a single, double, triple, and home run). He was the first Ranger to hit a cycle on the road, it was the 254th time in MLB history that a player had hit for the cycle, and he was the 19th switch hitter to do it.
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